Means fob igniting a torch under



Aug. 21, 1945. D. OP 'QLA 2,383,046

MEANS FOR IGNITING A TORCH UNDER WATER Filed April 3, 1943 INVENTOR Mario .DiZoppoia Q g" x 2% a, a, 41 M? ATTORNE Patented Aug. 21, 1945 n v 2,383,6Q6 I o 1MEANS roniGNI'rman'ronouuNnna n 1 no 1. AWATE t Q Mario di Zoppola, NewXcilgNj. ij assignorito r General Bronze Corporation, Long Island City;

Ns-YL; acorporation of NGWYOEK APMi ationAnI B, lsiapsearrt eight" r'm-s avenues-r ams as m' ndd ii in m s Ql? LEE-01 10 32: water-m, .1

One of the objects of this invention is to pro.- id arterie r-rpr m n ignition at a r under Water which is s m and n sn si in ma netism and Q at the same. time suihciently sthrdyianq durable to withstand: the conditions the i nition; o a h un e iins tia; team ni htmare h nited torch as t rela s-c ed w i ttrf na el-ign ted -ltlis e ardtthe end lq sa n h undefwhichit is used. Another object isto pro-- vide a device of the above,nature, which is readily attachable to and detachable from the end of the torch Another object'is to provide' afdeviee of the above nature which may be interchangeably usedw'i-th' various types of torches Another ob-' j'ectfis to provide'a device or the-above nature which is light and compact; and which may easily be installed'on or attachedto the-end of the torch by the diver Another object is .to provide,

a method of lightinga torchwhile under water,

by which the diver can quickly ignite the prch without danger n to himfielfor his diving equipment; Otherobjects,-,will be in part apparent andin part pointed out hereinafter. y, a v The invention amordinglyconsists in 'the features of construction;co ina i ns e em nts, arrangements of parts; a and a in the several steps and-relation and Order oileach of 'WlmQt one or more of theothers, all as will be illustra:

tively described herein, and the scope of the ap plicationiot which will be in ic tedin h ie ew -v ingclaim ,In thegdrawing, Qf my invention,

Figure 1,-is a side where n h e shown on f rm ele tat nri f] a to ch. with my :ignitiongpromoting device attached thereto; and,

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional elevation of 'my ignition promoting device attached to the end of the torch. y or Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the various views of the drawdiv rs timeand el min t ng hese; sks that my in ntio ris ere e or y A a a 1 ithreierence to re a r h enerany mitated at m omr ises a :h nd aim e e d iflt i hl se ured a band 12mm which. is n v te energet csl er- Qnihe t .iena fh r q y s-a st My i h n wh m i i ta ed an 9 se n edley e m tsho m w c m y e on: erase ha i q or nu t e s m of which ends throu hthebasewlt valve Extend n frqmqbase I4 i a ho t ens hofy-mpe laqnw ich' sthreaded a hydrogen ne dle v l l op rable extension 18, whi h ma be tath l e fle l WP: m tsmw'm lea ngto a source bi h dr n The ,q ysen al eli e sel as threaded BX- t it to whiehmer be tta dt end a flexible ubeee in e ed to ,j ree ol oxys athirdp pe 2| l ads intolbas l and r s at its other end an airvalve 22, 1h; may be con trolled b is or nut2 i a:

C nnect d o t e le tand d o h e as viewed, ini Figurell, H f/p s; 4, 5 d 26 whi h are o hnectedflrespec ve y tethe hyd o n, r en and a r inlets, and ac'l er n ly' ii o e a; .ui sgier he flQ 'Qf the oxy en andhi s harass: mi ing hamber g n a ly-ind a at fl, whereint e' wo gases e ed; T' a metallic objects under water, such as the hull of I ably attaic ied to head, 2'!" w 2 ie w i isfast iied 1.; 2e, towmshj fhsa r pi e 1 swurdjhsbr a union As snqwnm Fi u e nozzle 11 has an inner ham er; 3 w th w ch is disposed a pipe or tub 32 which extends up-' wardly through the nozzle, and is connected to head 27 in any suitable manner so as to provide a passage for the flow of the mixed oxygen and hydrogen out of the end of the nozzle. Pipe or tube 32 isconsiderably smaller in diameter than chamber 3|, and accordingly forms therewith a space 33 which communicates with L 29 and accordingly constitutes a conduit for the flow of ,air through the nozzle. The exit end of the nozzle is provided with a suitable number of projections 34, which maintain the end surface 35 of the nozzle spaced slightlyfrom the iron plate, for example, thatv is being cut. Through this space air rushes while the torch is being used at sufficient pressure to prevent the entrance of Water, which would extinguish the flame of the ignited oxygen and hydrogen. a y

The torch I have described hereinabove is of well-known conventional construction, and in I have found, however, that by creating a static body of air, at a pressure substantially equal to the pressure of the surrounding water, 'adjacent the exit end of the torch nozzle, and applying the spark of an ignition device adjacent the outlet of pipe 32, the jet of mixed gases can readilybe ignited by a suitable ignition device such as a spark plug, for example, after which the static body of air which keeps the water away from the flame, may be dispensed with.

To carry outmy method, I illustratively provide a bell or the like; generally-indicatedat 3B, which has a neck 31, provided with an interior shoulder 38 orthe like. i This shoulder supports a rubber washer 39 which is held on the shoulder by-a bell-mouthed lock washer 40; adapted to be threaded into bell neck 31. The inner diameter of neck is slightly larger than the outside diameter of nozzle 28, and rubber washer 39 is suiiiciently 'thickfsothat its inner diameter is less than either the inner diameter of neck 31 or the outer diameter of nozzle 28, so that when the nozzle is forced into the bell neck, the rubber washer grips it firmly and effectively seals one end of the bell neck-from'the other, thusto prevent escape of air upwardly through the bell neck. As the lock washer 40 is provided with a flared or bell-shaped mouth, installation of the bell on the nozzle 28' is greatly expedited-and the diver does not have to grope around in installing the bell on the nozzle.

One side of hell 36 is provided with a-suitable boss 4|, through the threaded bore of which extends the ignition device,'illustratively a spark plug 42, a, locknut 43'being provided to lock the The points 44 of the spark of current (not shown) andprovided'with a suit able switch (not shown) which when closed, ener-' gizes the spark plug to create a spark across its points.

In operation, when the divers torch is extinguished, and he wishes to re-ignite it, he installs bell 36 on the nozzle 28, as heretofore described, and then adjusts his air valve 22 (Figure 1) while holding bell 36 with its axis vertical, as shown in the drawing, until all of the water is driven out of the inside of the bell. At this time the air valve may be closed so that the body of air within the bell is in a static condition. Thereafterthe diver adjusts the oxygen and hy- 'drogenvalves to obtain the jet 45 of mixed oxygen and hydrogen. Thereafter the switch to spark plug 42 may be closed, thus to ignite the jet. After this has been done, the diver may again adjust his air valve so that the flaming bell 36 fromthe nozzle.

jet will not be extinguished when he removes Inasmuch as rubber washer 39 seals the opposite ends of bell neck 31, air cannot flow upwardly through the bell neck during the ignition period; and accordingly the body of air within the bell is maintained static.

It will now appear that I have provided a; device for igniting .an oxygen-hydrogen torch under water which attains the several objects above set forth in a thoroughly practicaland- ,efllcient manner.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features of the above invention, and as the art herein described might be varied in various parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, it; is to be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. r I

I'claim: I i

In apparatus for igniting a combustible mixture ofgases under water, in combination, a torchhaving a nozzle for the flow of air and a combustible mixture of gases, a bell-shaped member having a neck extending therefrom, the diameter of said neck being greater than the diameter of said nozzle and the entran'ce'end of said neck being flared to an even greater diameter than the neck diameter, gasket means in said neck and adapted to tightly engage said nozzle when the nozzle is inserted into the 'neck when the bell member is attached to the nozzle, and ignition means secured to said bell member adjacent the outlet end of said nozzle.

MARIO Dr ZOPPOLA; 

